


we all want the same thing

by kiyala



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 08:14:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2060688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Combeferre and Courfeyrac aren't as subtle as they think they are. (Or, five times their secret relationship was found out and one time they didn't have to hide it.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	we all want the same thing

"You said that Marius is out on a date?" Combeferre asks as Courfeyrac lets him into the apartment.

"Yeah. He and Cosette went out to see a movie. We have at least two hours." Courfeyrac replies, closing the door behind Combeferre before standing up on his tiptoes. Combeferre meets him halfway, their arms wrapping around each other. Courfeyrac grins as they pull apart. "Hi."

"Hello." Combeferre is grinning too. Courfeyrac kisses him again, purely because they're alone and so he can. 

They started dating a week ago and everything is still new and exciting. They haven't told any of their friends yet because they're not quite certain how it's going to affect the dynamics of the group, and they'd much rather just figure things out between the two of them first.

Courfeyrac loves kissing and luckily for him, it looks like Combeferre enjoys it just as much. He's not particularly surprised that they end up on the couch, arms wrapped around each other as they kiss. They pull apart, laughing softly when Combeferre's glasses are askew and fogged up. Courfeyrac carefully pulls them off so that Combeferre can put them aside on the table before returning back to the couch.

Courfeyrac isn't even quite sure how he ends up undoing the top two buttons of Combeferre's shirt, or how Combeferre's hand finds it way under his shirt, but that's how Marius finds them, squeaking loudly with embarrassment. Courfeyrac and Combeferre jerk apart immediately, but it's too late to hide anything. Marius is standing there, his face beet red as he tries not to look at them.

"Sorry," Marius blurts out. "The movie was sold out and then Cosette had to go home anyway because she didn't feel well after all the caramel popcorn we bought. I didn't…I didn't know that you and Combeferre…"

"Nobody does," Combeferre replies, sitting up and putting his glasses back on. He runs a hand over his hair in an attempt to make it sit flat and gives Marius one of the most stern looks in his arsenal. "We would appreciate if it stayed that way."

Marius makes a terrified sound and nods frantically before retreating to his room. "I'll just… be out of your way…"

Courfeyrac clicks his tongue and sits up as well, pressing a light kiss to Combeferre's lips. "You didn't have to terrify him."

"I wasn't trying to," Combeferre murmurs apologetically.

Courfeyrac snorts, wrapping his arms around Combeferre and kissing his neck. "I'll talk to Marius about it later. Hey, does this mean that you can stay for longer? Marius won't tell anyone. We can go to my room."

"Mm, that sounds good." Combeferre smiles. "Lead the way."

:·:

A month into their relationship, they go to a movie theatre a few station stops over from where they usually go. They hold hands in the line and every kiss they steal makes them grin at each other.

"I feel like a teenager or something," Courfeyrac laughs as they start filing into the theatre to find their seats. "Sneaking around with you and hoping we don't get caught."

Combeferre takes Courfeyrac's and as they sit down, squeezing gently. They're been on dates before, because most of what they do together tends to work as a date anyway, but this is one of the first dates they've been on where they can be openly affectionate with each other and it's _special_. Feeling Combeferre's fingers threading through his own makes Courfeyrac impossibly happy in an entirely different way to when they're in Courfeyrac's room and Marius is making sure that he's either busy in his own room or absent.

"Come closer," Combeferre murmurs, leaning towards the armrest between them as Courfeyrac does the same.

"You know we can lift it out of the way, right?" Courfeyrac asks, doing just that and shuffling even closer so that their sides are pressed together.

"I have a feeling hat you're going to be distracting me throughout this entire movie," Combeferre says, wrapping his arm around Courfeyrac.

"Right. _I'm_ the one who's going to be distracting." Courfeyrac rests his head on Combeferre's shoulder with a smile.

"You're always distracting me," Combeferre tells him, stroking his fingers through Courfeyrac's hair. "Always. I'm just better at pretending otherwise, most of the time."

"Not now, though." Courfeyrac can't help but feel smug.

Combeferre chuckles and presses a kiss into Courfeyrac's hair. "Definitely not. I'm incredibly distracted."

"Well then," Courfeyrac grins wickedly, lifting his head. "Let me distract you even more."

Which is how they end up missing the entirety of the movie because they're too busy kissing. By the time the credits start rolling, their lips are kiss-swollen and they both have matching hickeys just under their collars. They grin sheepishly at each other as the lights turn on, and then they hear a very familiar cough from behind them.

Joly and Bossuet are sitting behind them, wearing identical looks of amusement.

"Fuck," Courfeyrac says. "I mean, hi."

"Just my luck that we end up sitting behind these two guys who just _won't stop making out_ through the entire movie," Bossuet says.

"I'm impressed," Joly adds. "How do you even breathe when you kiss for so long? I have to know. For science."

"Shut up," Combeferre replies and he must be blushing hard if it's showing on his brown skin. "What are you two doing here?"

"This is the only place that has this movie screened at this time," Joly replies. "Were you two trying not to get caught?"

"Shut up," Combeferre repeats, but he's grinning this time.

"Does anyone else know about you two?" Bossuet asks.

"No," Combeferre lies without batting an eyelid. Courfeyrac should probably be concerned about just how hot he finds that.

"Well, think of it this way. Double dates. We can cover for you." Bossuet winks. "We've got you sorted."

Courfeyrac and Combeferre turn to each other with small smiles before they turn back to Joly and Bossuet, nodding.

"A double date would be… wonderful, actually," Combeferre says. "As long as it doesn't make you feel weird."

Joly laughs loudly. "What makes you think it would? It's absolutely fine, guys, really. We'll let you know the next time we go somewhere, yeah? Theres this one restaurant that Bossuet and I love going to because the chef is wickedly talented. She sometimes comes out to serve the food too and Bossuet always manages to drop something. It's adorable."

"Yes, do let us know," Courfeyrac says, taking Combeferre's hand, pleased that they still interlock their fingers with each other. "That sounds like fun."

:·:

Grantaire doesn't catch them out so much as he quietly stops them before they're caught. They're at a party and Combeferre is wearing a shirt that's a little too tight in all the right ways, sleeves rolled up, tattoos on display, and Courfeyrac _wants_ him.

"We should go outside," Courfeyrac murmurs, because there's only so long they can dance with each other and make it look platonic. "Or we can find an empty room. I don't mind."

"Cosette's father might," Combeferre replies into Courfeyrac's ear. "I don't want our group banned from Cosette's house just because I want to…"

"Mm?" Courfeyrac hums encouragingly. "You should tell me what you want to do."

"You're right," Combeferre decides. "We should go outside."

Cosette's backyard is lit up with fairy lights that she's strung up all over the place and Courfeyrac doesn't think she's done it specifically for this party. He gets the impression that they're always up and he's glad for them either way because in the soft, warm lighting, Combeferre looks breathtakingly handsome.

Courfeyrac is just about to open his mouth to tell Combeferre as much when he's interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

They both step away from each other too quickly for it to look anything but suspicious, to find Grantaire leaning against the wall with a cigarette between his lips.

"Grantaire." Combeferre's voice is calm. "We didn't see you there."

"That's obvious enough," Grantaire replies, exhaling a stream of smoke. "Didn't really look like you had eyes for anything except for each other. Look, I'm not going to judge you for trying to keep your… whatever it is a secret, but maybe you should work on being a little more subtle? Not eye-fucking each other from across the room would be a good start."

"We weren't—" Courfeyrac begins before he stops himself, realising that there's really no point in trying to deny it.

Grantaire smiles at them and puts his cigarette out in the ash tray on a nearby table. "I'll give you some privacy. There's a corner just over there that lets you stay out of sight. Not that you heard it from me."

"Thanks," Combeferre says, pulling Courfeyrac along in that direction as Courfeyrac wonders how Grantaire would know.

:·:

After the party, they take more care to be subtle. They haven't been called out on all the time they spend together, by the friends who know about them or by the ones who don't. Courfeyrac is beginning to wonder if there's really any point in keeping their relationship a secret, but every time he thinks about telling the rest of their friends, he thinks about telling Enjolras and that's enough to give him pause. The dynamic of the group as a whole might not have changed, but that's no guarantee that their friendship with Enjolras will remain as it is. Courfeyrac is afraid of Enjolras feeling left out and already feels bad enough for lying to him by omission.

He brings it up with Combeferre a few times, but they both agree to put it off a little longer, until they find the right way to tell him. Besides, it's not like he's the only one out of their friends who doesn't know.

Except then the whole group goes out to dinner together and once the waiters have rearranged the tables and chairs to fit all of them, Courfeyrac ends up sitting beside Combeferre. They spend the night holding hands under the table when they can, even though they're careful not to be too obvious about it.

When they're parting ways at the end of the night, Courfeyrac and Combeferre hang back with the unspoken agreement that they're going home together. Nobody really comments on it because it's not exactly uncommon, and Courfeyrac's had enough wine that he's giggling more than he normally would. Combeferre has an arm around his waist to hold him in place and Courfeyrac uses the cold night air as an excuse to lean into his warmth. 

"In case you're wondering," Courfeyrac says, as they walk home hand in hand, "I'm not drunk."

Combeferre snorts quietly. "I think you are."

"I'm not," Courfeyrac insists. "Because I didn't drink enough to be drunk. I know that consent is really important and _I know_ we both want you to take me home and—"

"—Courfeyrac—"

"—Bend me in half and fuck me until I scream for you—"

" _Courfeyrac_ ," Combeferre interrupts, sounding both frustrated and amused. "If you'd stop talking for a second, I would have had the chance to tell you that we have company."

Courfeyrac blinks, looking around to see that Jehan, Bahorel and Feuilly are walking with them.

"Oh, no," Jehan smiles at them, holding both Bahorel and Feuilly's hands. "Don't stop on our account."

"Yeah," Bahorel adds. "Go on."

Courfeyrac feels his face go warm and he hides it against Combeferre's shoulder. "I hate you all."

"Enjolras is going to be pleased," Feuilly comments.

"What?" Courfeyrac asks. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Feuilly shakes his head. "That's between Enjolras and the two of you. I'm not saying anything."

"You already said something," Courfeyrac points out, but he doesn't manage to get anything else out of Feuilly. 

Not that it makes much of a difference. Enjolras is now the only one of their friends who doesn't know about their relationship.They both know what they have to do.

:·:

"I'm so nervous," Courfeyrac mutters, pacing back and forth in their usual meeting room on the second level of the Musain. They're here an hour early to catch Enjolras before they need to start setting up for the meeting. They usually meet him about half an hour early and Enjolras is here first, but they'd rather have this conversation before anything else.

"Me too," Combeferre admits. "I have no idea how this is going to go. It's…"

"A little terrifying," Courfeyrac finishes, nodding. "Yeah."

"I haven't been this nervous since I asked you to go on a date with me," Combeferre says, even though he looks much calmer than Courfeyrac does. He's sitting on the edge of one of the tables and when Courfeyrac comes closer, Combeferre reaches out for him. "This is going to be fine. We'll be fine."

"I wish I knew what Feuilly meant about Enjolras last night," Courfeyrac mutters. "I mean, it sounds like a good thing but I'm not completely sure and…"

"Courfeyrac," Combeferre says, kissing him briefly. "We'll see soon enough."

With a quiet sigh, Courfeyrac rests their foreheads together. "I love you, you know. I mean, I'm completely in love with you."

Combeferre smiles. "I'm in love with you too."

"Maybe at the meeting, after we've told Enjolras, we can tell everyone? Properly, I mean. Hey everyone, Combeferre and I have ben dating for three months and we're totally in love with each other."

Combeferre laughs, soft and delighted, pulling Courfeyrac into a deep kiss. "Yeah. That sounds really good to me."

"Three months?" Enjolras speaks up from the doorway. "I thought you'd been dating for four months."

They jerk apart with guilty looks, turning to Enjolras in unison. There's an amused look on his face as he leans against the doorway, his arms folded across his chest.

"You knew?" Combeferre asks.

"We had movie night and Courfeyrac and Marius' apartment, and the two of you shared a blanket the entire time. Then the three of us shared Courfeyrac's bed and when I woke up the next morning, you were completely wrapped around each other. I assumed you were already dating at that point."

"We weren't," Courfeyrac says, "but I think that was one of the big signs that we should have been. So we are. I'm sorry we didn't tell you, Enjolras."

"It's fine." Enjolras smiles at them both, walking into the room. "Really. Are you both happy? And you're in love with each other?"

Courfeyrac and Combeferre both turn to each other, smiling as they nod.

"Good," Enjolras says. "That's all I want. I'm happy as long as you're both happy. I love you both. Perhaps not in the way you love each other, but…"

"Come here," Courfeyrac says, holding his arm out to invite Enjolras into a group hug. "We love you too."

:·:

Five months into their relationship, Courfeyrac and Combeferre move in together officially, because they figure that they spend so much of their time together anyway, and have been even before they'd started dating. It's a cosy one-bedroom apartment with a lounge room just big enough to fit all of their friends together for a house-warming party. Two months of not having to hide their relationship has helped them grow even closer, to the point where they are now teased for acting like a married couple. Courfeyrac is almost entirely certain that it's going to happen sometime in the future, but he's not rushed. He's happy enough where they are for now.

Combeferre wraps an arm around his waist and kisses his cheek. "You look lost in thought."

"Just thinking about how happy I am right now." Courfeyrac smiles. "I love you."

Combeferre grins, leaning in to kiss him. Their friends cheer and they pull apart, laughing, only to rest their foreheads together.

Jehan is sharing a one-seater with Bahorel and Feuilly in a tangle of limbs. Bossuet and Joly are gushing over the fact that the chef they're both crushing on has agreed to go on a date with them to anyone who will listen. Marius and Cosette are both nodding enthusiastically as they listen, holding each other's hands.

Combeferre nudges Courfeyrac and nods over at where Enjolras and Grantaire are standing in the entrance of the kitchen, heads bowed as they talk.

"So, how long do you think _they've_ been dating for?" 

"The party at Cosette's place," Courfeyrac replies immediately with a grin. "Grantaire pointed out that we were eye-fucking each other from across the room _and_ tipped us off on the prime make-out spot. Three guesses where Enjolras went for those fifteen minutes we couldn't find him."

Combeferre laughs quietly. "And Grantaire told us to be subtle."

"To be fair," Courfeyrac says, "I don't think Grantaire's ever been subtle. Enjolras, on the other hand? Kudos to him. I didn't even know he _could_ be subtle."

"You think this is how he felt before we told him?" Combeferre asks. "Impatient for us to just _admit_ it so we don't have to be quiet about being happy?"

Courfeyrac smiles, kissing him again. "Probably. Are we allowed to meddle?"

"Leave them be," Combeferre tells him. "They'll work it out. We managed, after all."

"Yeah." Courfeyrac wraps his arms around Combeferre tightly. "That we did."

**Author's Note:**

> Happy courferre week! \o/ ♥
> 
> (Title from the lyrics of OneRepublic's Love Runs Out)


End file.
